Me and Mr. Johnson by Eric Clapton

Album cover for Me and Mr. Johnson - Eric Clapton

Me and Mr. Johnson is the sixteenth studio album by Eric Clapton released in 2004. The album is a tribute to legendary bluesman Robert Johnson. According to Clapton's autobiography, the recordings weren't intended to become an album. The band had rented the studio, but Clapton didn't have any songs written, so he suggested they record Robert Johnson songs. They recorded enough songs for an album and it was decided to release them as such.

More than just a tribute album, <i>Me and Mr. Johnson</i> is the product of years and years of obsession—a totem to Clapton's enduring devotion to his blues idol, Robert Johnson. On "They're Red Hot", he adds playful piano and drums to Johnson's original romp, while guitarist Doyle Bramhall II ends the party with a solo that’s equal parts blues, country and rockabilly. "Love in Vain" is appropriately forlorn, with Clapton making his guitar weep as a harmonica moans in the background.